Analyst Views

The most valuable commodity

Background What could possibly be the best commodity in finance? Some would say money, relationships, natural resources or data. It can be agreed that all of these are indeed important, but what about one’s ability to effectively tie all of … Continue reading

Analyst Views

Speculation vs Investing

Background In this dynamic era, major shifts occur in financial markets as time progresses. New financial vehicles emerge with promises of high returns, sometimes seeming to be too good to be true. In navigating this arena there are different schools … Continue reading

Analyst Views

Alternative assets and you

Background Over the years the investing public has been exposed to two main asset types, namely stocks and fixed income instruments such as bonds. These instruments are usually publicly traded through vehicles such as the Jamaica Stock Exchange and international … Continue reading

Analyst Views

What the Hell is an IPO?

So you may have been hearing about IPOs recently, or heard about companies “going public” or “going to market”. They have been all the rage for the past few years so it’s likely crossed your path, assuming that is, that … Continue reading

Analyst Views

Weathering storms and business

Background The legend of Hurricane Gilbert forms a major part of growing up in Jamaica, along with harrowing tales of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 forcing businesses to close doors, some to never be opened again. In more recent history Hurricane … Continue reading

Analyst Views

Why the economy is an ecosystem

Background From time to time we hear the rhetoric that “strong companies make strong countries”. Reasonably, some persons may see this as an absurdity because of the prevalence of wealth inequality today. According to Fortune.com, just eight persons own half … Continue reading

Analyst Views

Investing like a GSAT kid

The Rigors   What does a child studying for GSAT exams and an investor have in common? Many persons would have serious difficulty answering that question. A GSAT student needs to be focused, long term oriented, diligent and have a … Continue reading

Analyst Views

What makes a company good?

Background In many instances we have different ideas about what makes a company good. Could it be the products? What about customer service? Or is that hilarious ad that comes on with the happy music? Beyond all of these factors, … Continue reading

Analyst Views